


The Green and the Blue

by MiladyDragon



Series: Dragon-Verse: Future Adventures [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Dragon-Verse, Dragons, Future Fic, M/M, Magic, Mpreg, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-27
Updated: 2012-07-27
Packaged: 2017-11-10 19:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/470053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiladyDragon/pseuds/MiladyDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After over 1200 years of service, Jack Harkness and his mate, the dragon Ianto Jones, have retired to Ddraig Llyn in order to start a family.  Jack thinks he's going to be the one to carry their children, but the Great Dragons have another idea.  Jack and Ianto have to fight off an unscrupulous land developer who wants their valley while dealing with the fun that only being the first ever pregnant male dragon can bring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the MPreg Big Bang. So yeah, it has MPreg in it. *grins*

 

**_31 January 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

****

Jack Harkness heard the shuttle’s engines before he saw the craft emerge from behind the mountains.

He raised his hand against the glare of the sky, grinning widely.  The immortal watched as the pilot maneuvered the shuttle in an arc over the lake, and he didn’t need to reach for his comm. to know that it was his daughter, Anwyn, finally arriving from Hubworld. 

A flash of green out of the corner of his eye heralded the arrival of his mate.  The dragon made for the shuttle, pirouetting gracefully around the craft as the ship made a waggling motion with its stubby wings.  Jack laughed as Ianto did the same, banking away and letting the ship come in to land.

Jack headed toward the landing area they’d set up, on what used to be the village green of Ddraig Llyn.  Anwyn brought the shuttle in gently, landing between the pile of natural stone they’d been using for constructing the house and the antigrav crane they’d rented for the construction.  Jack was impressed; their daughter was a hell of a pilot, but then she’d learnt from the best.

He got to the shuttle just as the rear door was opening.  Not giving Anwyn time to react, he threw his arms around her and whirled her around in a circle.  “There’s my girl!” he greeted her, bussing her loudly on the cheek.

“Dad!” she cried, hugging him back as hard as he was hugging her.  Jack loved his daughter fiercely, and had missed her in the little over a month he and Ianto had been on Earth.  Certainly, there’d been longer times between visits, but there was something about this time that brought it home to him that he’d been her father for six hundred years, and in that time he’d often put Torchwood first. 

Well, no more.                                 




The words she’d spoken back on Hubworld would remain with him.  She’d been right; both Jack and Ianto had lived Torchwood for so long, that when Ianto had become ill Jack had only hesitated a little before letting his mate go off on his own.  Anything could have happened, and Ianto would have been alone.

Anwyn pulled back, looking at him, her eyes – just like her Tad’s – scrutinizing him.  “You look good, Dad.”

Jack grinned.  “I’m feeling pretty good.”

Anwyn had inherited Jack’s looks and attitude, and Ianto’s human eyes and intelligence.  They were a deadly combination: their daughter had learned early on that, if she couldn’t think her way out of a situation, then she could use the Harkness charm to get her way.

There was a reason Jack had lovingly nicknamed her ‘his little terror’.

Anwyn twisted a little so she could loop an arm around each of their waists; and, since she hadn’t quite inherited their height, she raised up on her toes to kiss them both.

“It’s so good to see you both,” she exclaimed.

“You too, sweetheart,” Ianto said, his arm tightening around her once more.

“Your Tad’s been on the lookout for you since this morning,” Jack teased, winking at his mate.  “I tried to convince him that you wouldn’t be here until this afternoon…”

Ianto rolled his eyes.  “Hush, you.  You’ve seen Anwyn since I have.  I can’t help it if I was a bit…excited.”

“Just a bit?” Jack asked incredulously.

“Well, maybe a little more than that…”

“Quit giving Tad a hard time,” Anwyn chastised.  “I’m here, and that’s all that’s important.  Now…are you going to give me the tour of the new place?”

Jack pouted, then grinned.  “C’mon then, squirt,” he said. 

Together the three of them circled the shuttle, and Jack couldn’t help but notice Anwyn’s gasp.  “We based the outside on the old Green Dragon Inn,” he explained as they walked.  “We managed to salvage a lot of the stone from the rubble and rebuilt the façade.”

The house was indeed almost what Jack could remember.  It was built as a split level, with the ground floor built over a raised underground level, then with a second story and attic above.  Back when the place had been an inn, the lowermost section had been the pub; now it was storage and a place where Ianto could set up a small hoard, instead of keeping it up in the cave as he’d once done.  The ground floor was now living space instead of the main lobby, dining room, kitchen, and office; although it was the same general layout, the lobby had become their living area, and the dining room and kitchen were now just what a house would need, instead of a working inn.  There was also still an office, but they’d designed it the better to keep their links with Torchwood…when they would need such things.

The second floor was bedrooms…one of which Jack hoped Anwyn would make hers permanently.  The only other difference was the attic: they’d converted it to their own sleeping chamber, with the skylight that they’d had in all their homes looking down on the nest that he and Ianto shared.  They’d long ago discarded the bed that they used to keep as well, not needing it anymore.

“Why so big?” Anwyn asked, as they approached the front door.

“Well, there’s your room, of course,” Ianto answered.  “But…we’re hoping to expand the family a bit.”

 “If that’s all right with you,” Jack hurriedly added. 

After Anwyn was born, they’d decided not to have any more children, since it would interfere with their running Torchwood.  There had been times when Anwyn had been raised by nannies and tutors, and Jack was afraid that she might be jealous or take their wanting a family the wrong way.

He ushered them all inside.  The foyer opened up into the large living area, with comfortable couches and chairs and a large entertainment center.  Some of their favorite art pieces were hung on the walls, and a large stone fireplace took up part of the outside wall.

Anwyn didn’t appear to have noticed her surroundings.Her eyes were large, surprise practically overflowing in them.“I thought you wanted to stop after me!”




“We did,” Jack admitted.  “But that was because we didn’t want to take time away from building up Torchwood into a galactic force.  After that…well, you know what happened.  We just gave up the idea in favor of work.”

It hadn’t been until Ianto had gotten ill that Jack had realized just what they’d given up.  He’d had two weeks onboard ship to think about what was important to him, and by the time he’d arrived on Earth and had rejoined his mate he’d made the decision that they needed to take some time for themselves.

Their daughter looked between the two of them, as if weighing them up.  That gaze was very much like her Tad’s, and if Jack hadn’t been used to it after all these centuries he might have glanced away.  “Are you sure you can, since you’re back on Earth now?”

It was a valid question, and she didn’t seem to be angry or dismissing it out of hand.  “I couldn’t before because of all the oestrogen in the water, but no one uses oestrogen-based contraceptives anymore.  It will have all washed out of the atmosphere by now.”

Anwyn nodded.  “Does this mean you’ll both be retiring from Torchwood then?”  It sounded like a challenge.

It was a challenge Jack was willing to take.  “For a while,” he said.  “We’re certainly going to cut back a lot, and only work out of London Central if we’re needed.”  He hoped it was enough of an answer for her.

Her eyes darted between them once more, and then she practically jumped them both, hugging them fiercely.  “That’s great news!” she practically shrieked in their ears.

Once they’d been released from their daughter’s embrace, Ianto looked at her and smiled.  “I suppose this means you don’t object to a brother or sister?”

“Are you kidding?” she enthused.  “I’ve been waiting bloody _centuries_ to be an older sister!  Every birthday when I was a kid I’d wish for a little brother or sister when I blew out the candles on my cakes!  And don’t get me started about Christmas!  The only thing that kept me from asking the Earth Dragon was that we weren’t on Earth anymore and I didn’t think he’d hear me!”

Ianto’s look of relief had to mirror Jack’s own.  “We’re glad you think that way,” Ianto said, returning her grin.  “Your Dad and I really want this to work…and we’d like you to live here, with us, for as long as you want.”

Anwyn was practically vibrating in excitement.  “Does this mean I get to retire, too?”

Jack laughed.  It was the very last question he’d been expecting; she was a bit too much like him, loving the adventure of it all.  “If that’s what you want, sweetie,” he said.  “After nearly four hundred years of service, I think you’ve earned it!”

“Then let’s finish this tour,” she grinned.  “I want to pick out my room!”

 

**********

 

After the tour, the three of them began to unload the shuttle.  Dark clouds were beginning to loom over the mountains, and Jack hoped they’d have time to get everything finished before it let loose on them.

At one point in the unpacking, Jack came upon Anwyn and Ianto, talking quietly, his daughter’s hand resting on something…taking a step closer he could see it was one of his and Ianto’s mating posts.

He remembered the day that they’d been presented to him and Ianto.It had come at the end of a difficult time, and Jack hadn’t been certain that it was right, after everything that had happened.But circumstances – and the four very persuasive Dragon-friends that had carved them in secret – had convinced him that he’d needed to reach for what he wanted, when the opportunity presented itself.  It had been their first – and only – true dragon mating.   




“ – someday,” Ianto was saying, his own hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I know,” Anwyn sighed.  “It just seems like it’s taking forever.”

Ianto laughed.  “Don’t worry.  After all, it took me only two thousand years to find your Dad.”

“True.  It’s just that…I’ll never get to mate like you and Dad did.  I guess I wish I could do it that way, too.”

The sadness in his daughter’s voice made Jack step forward, but before he could take her in his arms Ianto had beat him to it, pressing a kiss to her dark hair.  “If you’re meant to, there will be a way.  There was for Jack and I.  Just give it time, all right?”

Anwyn pulled back, favoring the dragon with a knowing smirk.  “And in the meantime I get to spoil whatever siblings you give me absolutely rotten.”

“You would,” he snorted.  “Now, let’s get the rest of these things unloaded before it snows.  If your Dad would stop standing there and help out a little…?”

“Hey!” Jack exclaimed.  “I’m just admiring the father-daughter moment going on.”

Ianto rolled his eyes good-naturedly.  “I know, Jack.  Now, please come and help.”

Jack winked at his mate and his daughter, feeling like he truly was home.


	2. Chapter 2

 

**_31 January 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

 

They’d barely gotten everything into the large front room before the bottom dropped out of a sky that had been threatening for hours.

Ianto set the very last box down, dusting his hands off on his trousers.  “I’ll make the coffee, shall I?”

“Yes, please!” Anwyn answered, before Jack could even open his mouth.  “It’s been ages since I’ve had one of your coffees, Tad.”

Jack laughed.  “Shame on you, you’ve even addicted your daughter.”

Ianto arched an eyebrow at him.  “She just has excellent taste…like her Tad.”  He turned and headed into the kitchen. 

Pulling one of the boxes open, Jack began to rifle through its contents.  “I’m not sure where we’re putting all this stuff yet, but knowing your Tad he has a plan.”  Even after so many years, Ianto Jones was still the most organized person he’d ever met.

“I don’t doubt it,” Anwyn returned.  She was checking the carryalls she’d brought with her, containing her own personal belongings.

“We’ll get your bags up to your room in a bit,” he said, settling in at another of the boxes.  He frowned, seeing all the hard copy files within, in protective cases.  “Ianto!” he called.  “Why did you have Anwyn bring all these files with her?”  They didn’t look like official Torchwood documents.

“Those are our personal papers,” Ianto answered, popping his head back into the room.  “I wanted to make certain we’d be ready if anyone tried to claim the land from us that we had everything we needed to prove ownership.  After that run-in with that official who showed up after we started construction I didn’t want to take a chance.”

“Makes sense,” Jack said, putting the files back in the box.

“What happened?” Anwyn asked, sitting herself down next to him.

“About a week into rebuilding,” Jack explained, “we had a visitor wanting to know what we planned on doing with the valley.  Of course we told him we were the owners, but Ianto wasn’t so sure he believed it.”

“I doubt they even knew we were here until we drew attention to ourselves,” Ianto added, returning with three mugs balanced in his hands.  He sounded angry, and Jack couldn’t blame him.

On present-day Earth, land was at a premium and any unclaimed land was worth its weight in whatever precious metal a person could name.  However, Ianto had long ago purchased this valley, using a large part of his hoard, in an attempt to protect his home from any unwanted land-grabbers.  Later on the then-King of England had made a land grant extending well into the mountains as a repayment for services rendered, and everything had been left in perpetuity to Ianto Jones, transferable only by him.

Ianto passed out the coffees, taking a seat in a chair near the sofa where Jack and Anwyn sat.Jack watched in amusement as Anwyn inhaled the rich aroma of the coffee before taking a sip.




She made a small moaning noise.  Jack didn’t want to think that his daughter knew what an orgasm sounded like, but really…she was nearly six hundred years old.  She really wasn’t his baby girl any more.

“She gets that from you,” Ianto accused, taking his own sip.

 “I don’t know what you mean,” Jack answered, trying to sound innocent.  He tasted his own coffee, and the unconscious moan echoed Anwyn’s.

“See?” the dragon pointed out, somewhat primly.

Jack couldn’t deny it.  He laughed.

 

**********

 

It was still snowing, flakes sliding down the reinforced glass to collect on the sill.  Jack wondered how many inches they’d gotten, and despaired of them being able to get any work done outside in the morning.  He knew Ianto didn’t mind the snow, but Jack didn’t really care for it himself, having got used to the lack of it on Hubworld. 

Another flash of lightning surprised him.  Now, that just wasn’t usual at all.  He sat up, to get a better look out of the window.  It was completely dark outside, the snow obscuring everything.  Then Jack realized that, while there’d been lightning, there’d been no thunder following. 

Suddenly, against the snow, was a shape.

It twisted among the flakes, a shadow among shadows.  Slitted eyes the color of the deepest, purest water caught his.

Aquamarine scales caught yet another strobe of lightning, and Jack knew at once what he was looking at.

The Water Dragon.

His heart beat faster, not knowing why the Water Dragon would be there, now, and in the middle of a snowstorm.

Spurred on by an instinct he couldn’t name, Jack rose from the nest he and Ianto had made, and after putting on some clothing he made his quiet way down to the ground floor.  He put on his coat and boots and then headed outside.

In the time it had taken for him to dress and get downstairs, it had stopped snowing.

Jack stepped outside.  Somehow a path in the snow had been cleared, and Jack followed it down toward the lakeside, his boots squishing through the soaked grass.  All around him snow lay inches deep, pristine and white under a moon that had appeared as quickly as the storm had vanished. 

The lake that gave the valley one part of its name lay placid, no waves marking where it touched the shore.  He and Ianto had had their mating there…well, the actual place was now under water, since the glacial ice from the tall mountains had melted off over a thousand years ago.  Now, the Earth was regaining some of its temperature equilibrium, and the snow had come back to the peaks surrounding them. 

He reached the shoreline.  Everything was quiet, as if the planet was holding its breath.  Jack scanned the lake, breathing in the crisp winter air, waiting for whatever was to come.

_“Welcome home, son.”_

Jack smiled as the Water Dragon appeared, hovering just off the surface of the placid lake.  His blue eyes were smiling as he moved toward Jack, claws settling daintily onto the cold ground.  He wrapped his wings around his body, the moonlight glittering on aqua-colored scales.

“Thank you,” Jack answered, “it’s good to be home.”  It was; very much so.

 _“We have missed both of our sons, and look forward to knowing our granddaughter,”_ the dragon said.  _“But tonight…tonight, a miracle is going to happen here.  Are you ready?”_

Jack’s heart raced.  He wanted to ask what sort of miracle, but he knew the Great Dragons well enough by now that coming out with that question would only get him a riddle.  Instead, he simply nodded.

_“Excellent.  Then let us begin.”_

**********

 

The dragon stirred, missing his mate’s warmth immediately.  He sat up, looking around the room for Jack, and not finding him. 

He reached out with his senses, feeling for his mate.  The Vortex that made Jack immortal was like an itch at the back of his head, and it was just distant enough that the dragon didn’t think he was even in the house anymore.

Rising, he glanced out of the large skylight.  It had stopped snowing, and the moon was shining against the snow, making it brighter outside than it usually would have been.  With the tilt the window was set in, it was hard to see the lake, but if the dragon craned his neck in just the right way, he could just see Jack by the shore…and it looked as if he was sticking something into the ground.

Were those their mating posts?

Quickly changing back into human form, Ianto got dressed and headed downstairs.  He almost ran into Anwyn on the way; she looked confused.  “I felt something was going on,” she answered quietly.  “I couldn’t go back to sleep, and I saw Dad out the window…”

“He’s up to something,” Ianto said, grabbing his boots from the cupboard by the front door.  He didn’t bother with a coat; the cold didn’t bother him.  Anwyn took down her own coat, and together they left the house, walking down toward the lake.

Jack was driving the last post into the muddy ground as they approached.He smiled at them, and Ianto returned it, seeing something in his mate’s eyes that sent his heart beating wildly.  “What is it, Jack?” he asked quietly, afraid to break the magical atmosphere that seemed to descend over them.




“It’s a miracle,” Jack answered, taking a step within the circle of the posts.

A golden glow surrounded him, and Ianto watched in some strange combination of shock, joy, and awe as his mate transformed into the blue-gray dragon he’d only seen once, so many centuries ago. 

Anwyn squeaked beside him, but Ianto barely noticed as his feet took him into the circle.  On the first step over he also changed, shedding his human form and regaining his natural shape, to stand next to his mate.

A sinuous neck curled around his own, and the dragon sighed, leaning into the warm body of his mate.  He began to sing the Mating Song, and Jack joined him, their entwined voices echoing over the still valley.  He felt his heart swelling within him, as the mating urge rolled over him like a tidal wave of feeling.

Letting out a loud roar, he launched himself upward.

An accompanying roar followed him, as did the beloved form of his mate.  The wind whistled under his emerald wings, and he laughed with the overwhelming joy of the moment, knowing that this was, indeed, a miracle as Jack had said.

Out of the corner of his eye, the dragon caught a flash of blue-gray, and with a beat of his powerful wings he outpaced his mate again, the stars above them sharp pinpricks of light that he was reaching for. 

The mating imperative grew, and he laughed again, knowing that his mate would eventually win their race, but craving the excitement of the chase.  He let a small gout of flame escape his nostrils as he pushed higher into the sky, reaching for those stars that he’d walked among for so long as a part of Torchwood.

The tell-tale tingle of Vortex energy barely warned him of his mate’s closeness before powerful claws grabbed him around the shoulders, trapping his wings between their bodies.  The dragon shrieked as their upward momentum slowed, the only thing keeping them flying were the strong blue-gray wings beating against gravity.

Their bodies wound around each other, and his mate’s arousal pressed against him.  He raised his snout to the heavens, and began to sing, the Song of Eternity flowing through him and out of him even as his mate’s voice joined his own.  He wrapped his tail around his mate’s body, pushing himself back toward the waiting erection, begging to be claimed as he’d once claimed his mate, so long ago.

The song was all; the imperative was all.  The wind was screaming past them as they plummeted toward the ground, and his mate pushed deep inside him, sharp pain giving way to intense pleasure as they lost themselves in the moment of connection, of the completion of their mating. 

They screamed their mutual orgasms to the sky, and then they were separate once more, wings unfurling to catch the updrafts.  The dragon flew a complex pattern around his mate, who was laughing as he dodged a playful swipe of one wing, returning the gesture with a tail flip that smacked lightly against green scales. 

He landed on an outcrop, and his mate landed next to him.  A warm, scaled body curled up next to his, and he reveled in the contact, purring as a blue-gray head rubbed against his, the sides of their snouts brushing against each other in the dragon equivalent of kissing.  A puff of hot air tickled his ear, and he snorted softly.  “How did this happen?” he whispered, not wanting this to end.

“As I said,” his mate answered, “it’s a miracle.”

“Can this happen again?”  He didn’t want this to end.

“I don’t know, but I want it to.  I want you like this, as much as I want your human form.  You’re beautiful to me, either way.”  To prove his words, his mate practically crawled on top of him, and it was obvious that he was, once again, interested.

The dragon laughed.  “You’re insatiable.”

“But you already knew that about me.”  The leer in his voice was priceless.

“I do hope Anwyn doesn’t wait up for us.”

“I think she’ll get the hint.” 

The dragon felt his mate nuzzle just behind his ear, and he gave up worrying about their daughter as his mate made love to him once more.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

**_10 April 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

****

“Are you putting on weight?”

Ianto turned to regard his mate.  Jack was standing in the doorway, leaning indolently against the jamb, his arms crossed over his chest.

He wanted to deny it, but Jack was right.  Ianto had been noticing it in his clothes more and more, and it was bothering him.  “I shouldn’t be,” he admitted.  “My human form shouldn’t be changeable in that way.  Is it that noticeable?”

“Not really,” Jack admitted, pushing off the doorway and coming to stand behind Ianto, where he was working the coffee machine.He slid his arms around Ianto’s waist, resting his hands on the little pudge he seemed to be developing.“I did feel it when we were in the shower last night, and then you were giving your jeans a funny look this morning when you were getting dressed.  Are you feeling all right?”




Ianto nodded, relaxing in Jack’s grasp.  “I feel fine, although I have been a bit tired lately.”

“We’ll have you checked out if it gets any worse,” Jack said, “or if you get sick.”

He agreed, even though he disliked doctors as a rule.  He was about to agree out loud when Anwyn’s calling for them got their attention.

Together the mates left the kitchen, Ianto cutting the coffee machine off, not wanting the coffee to burn.  As they made their way out into the living area, they could both hear their daughter’s voice raised somewhere outside.

Jack opened the front door, letting in the early spring air.It was still chilly out, but already they could see the signs that the seasons were changing.Ianto loved it, and couldn’t wait until summer arrived.  He’d always loved summer in Ddraig Llyn.




Anwyn’s voice was louder, and it was obvious she was confronting someone.  “– my home,” she was saying.  “What gives you the right to land that thing here?”

That ‘thing’ was some sort of shuttle, with a triangular logo on it.  Anwyn was currently facing off with a middle-aged man, who looked as if he might have some Andrase blood in him judging from the faint yellow sheen to his skin.  He was wearing the usual bureaucratic suit, with dark glasses and a briefcase.

“I have paperwork saying that I have every right to land here,” the man answered.  He must have noticed Jack and Ianto approaching, because his gaze moved from Anwyn to the mates.

“I’d like to see that paperwork,” Ianto said, slotting his professional mask into place.  “Because this is private property, and our daughter is correct: you don’t have the right to be here without calling ahead for permission.”

Ianto didn’t need to see his eyes, to know that their ‘visitor’ had just rolled them at his request.  “Of course,” the man answered.  He rested his briefcase on the bonnet of the shuttle, opening it and pulling the forms out.  He handed them to Ianto.  “We have it on good authority that this is unclaimed land, and has been for over five hundred years.”

“You would be wrong,” Ianto answered, talking the offered forms.  “This valley has been in my name since the late twenty-first century, and I have the deed of sale, plus a royal land grant, to prove it.”

“The only reason you’re even aware of this place,” Jack argued, “was because we took out the permits to build here.”

The man didn’t seem to have heard Jack; he was looking at Ianto, and the incredulity showed around the obscuring glasses.  “You expect me to believe that you’ve owned this valley for that long?” he scoffed.

Ianto loved dealing with idiots who apparently didn’t check their facts. “I do,” he answered calmly, even though inside he was getting more and more angry.  “I take it then you’ve never heard of the Torchwood Dragon?”

Oh yes, he enjoyed that particular expression when someone finally ‘got it’.

It was at times like this that Ianto actually enjoyed his notoriety.“And this is Jack Harkness, my mate and Director of the Torchwood Institute.I think this should answer any questions about how I can possibly own Ddraig Llyn for so long.Now, let me get copies of my ownership documents to take back to your employers.  Next time, please call first before you arrive.   Jack, I’m sure you and Anwyn can keep our guest occupied while I step inside for a moment?”




He’d been expecting something like this, ever since that other had shown up during construction of their home.  Ianto turned and went back into the house, heading right to the office, glad that he’d had Anwyn bring all of that from Hubworld.  He was still angry though; it proved to him that the humans in charge were still the greedy bastards that they’d been ever since he’d been aware of the outside world.  Well, the sooner they got rid of the man, the better Ianto would feel.

His stomach was suddenly churning, and he leaned over the desk as a wave of dizziness swept over him.  Shaking it off, Ianto awoke their computer and set an external drive into the slot, downloading the needed documents onto it.   There was no way he was going to let the original documents get into unsafe hands.  Those he’d stored in a safe at Torchwood Central in London.

It didn’t take any time at all to gather what he needed, and to put their intruder’s own paperwork on the desk.  He strode from the office, across the living area, and outdoors, where there seemed to be some sort of standoff between his family and the man.  He didn’t look like he enjoyed being ganged up on, but Ianto didn’t care.  He was angry that someone had come and disputed the claim to his home, and if the idiot felt uncomfortable, so be it.

“Here,” he growled, giving the man the external drive.  “I suggest you update the land records and not come back again.  Rest assured, I’ll be going through Torchwood and making certain no one makes the same mistake as coming back here without an invitation.”

“And I’m going to make sure this is a no-fly zone,” Jack added.  He looked livid, and Ianto wanted to laugh; his mate always had had an issue with bureaucrats.

“This isn’t over, gentlemen,” the man said, himself sounding a bit angry as well.

“Oh, yes it is,” Anwyn gloated.  “You go up against Dad and Tad, and you’re gonna lose.”

“Anwyn,” Ianto chastised quietly, amused by his daughter.  “Didn’t we teach you not to gloat at the bad guys?”

“Oh, that’s right,” she answered brightly.  “The bad guys are the gloaters, not the good guys.”

“Exactly,” Jack agreed.  “Now, unless you’re gonna have a really good gloat, we suggest you leave our property.”

The man really didn’t have much of a choice after that.  The three of them watched the shuttle take off, standing well away from the backwash of the thrusters. 

“Like we’d be here if we didn’t have the right to be,” Jack grumbled.

“I’ve heard stories of squatters on land that’s been abandoned,” Anwyn said.“Personally, I’m glad all this is yours, Tad.  I’d hate to see it buried under high-rises or concrete or something.”   




“This is my home,” Ianto growled, feeling himself getting angry again.  “I was born here.  There is no way I’m letting some trumped-up civil servant take it away from me.”

Jack was looking at him strangely.  “Are you all right?”

Ianto frowned.  “I feel fine.  Why?”

“Well, you’ve just gone all red in the face.”

“Dad’s right,” Anwyn said.  “I’ve never seen that color before…well, at least not on _you_.  Dad kinda looks like that when he’s talked to some sort of idiot who doesn’t know his arse from a hole in the ground.”

Jack glared at her for a moment and then turned back to Ianto.  His eyes were worried.  “She’s right, though.  You don’t normally go for the apoplectic look.” 

“I’m just fine,” the dragon snapped.  “Quit fussing.” 

He turned on his heel to go back inside, but the dizziness returned, and he found himself swaying.  A strong arm grabbed him about the waist, holding him upright.

“Yeah, you’re just fine,” Jack said worriedly.  “Anwyn, go fire up the transmat, we’re going to London.”

Anwyn practically raced into the house, as Ianto went much slower, supported by his mate.  “I don’t need to go to London,” he tried to argue.

“You went from red as a tomato to pale as a sheet within a second,” Jack said, guiding him.  “And then you almost went face-first into the ground.  I think you need to go to London.  Dr. Sakai can take a look at you.”

Ianto hated doctors, but he had to admit that Jack may have a point.  He let his mate take him inside.

 

**********

 

Torchwood Central, London, had once been the center of Torchwood until Jack and Ianto had taken it off-world and set up Hubworld.  Now, Torchwood Central was more a backwater, a research lab that also monitored the still-active Old Cardiff Rift. 

London – or London Island, as some called it – was now a man-made island within the shallow Thames Sea.  The city would have been inundated during the great ice melt-off of 2050 if not for what little advanced warning the global warning experts had given.  But engineers and scientists had managed to stave off disaster, and now large bulwarks kept the seawater at bay. 

The Torchwood building was a ten story structure near where the old Canary Wharf had been, an irony that had not been lost on Jack over the centuries.  The transmat had taken him and his family to the lobby of the Central building, and he steered his mate toward the reception desk, Anwyn on the other side of Ianto to catch him if he should get dizzy again. 

The receptionist barely glanced in their direction.  “Do you have an appointment?” she asked, busily typing something into her computer.

“Jack Harkness,” he snapped, irritated by the woman’s lack of attention. “You’ll find I don’t need an appointment.  Just contact Dr. Sakai Katsuko and tell her I’m bringing Ianto Jones up for a medical emergency.”

The woman snapped to attention immediately; Jack was gratified that his reputation seemed to be preceding him.  “Right away, sir,” she said, reaching for her earpiece.

He didn’t wait for her to do so.  Jack led Ianto toward the lifts, Anwyn in tow, and he efficiently butted in front of two white-coated scientists and a smartly-dressed Tlandian, stealing the open lift from them and not apologizing for it.

“Do you have to be so rude?” Ianto asked, sounding very much like himself once more.

“Where your health is concerned? Damn right I do!”

It hadn’t been all that long ago that Ianto had been ill, and had to return to Earth as a biological imperative.  Jack couldn’t help but think that it had been more than that, if his mate was having more symptoms now.  He wasn’t ready for anything to happen to Ianto; hell, he’d never be ready to lose his dragon.  Ianto might be near-immortal, but there were still some things out there that could kill him.

The sixth floor was Torchwood’s medical wing, and Dr. Sakai Katsuko was awaiting them outside the lift.  “What happened?” the small New Japanese woman asked, not even giving the doors a chance to open all the way before speaking.

Jack described Ianto’s symptoms as they moved toward Dr. Sakai’s office.  She was from New Japan, where most of the former island nation’s people had settled after Old Japan had become uninhabitable.  They’d managed to survive the flooding by doing what most major cities had done: make Tokyo into a man-made island, but a series of severe earthquakes followed by the re-awakening of Mt. Fuji had made it impossible for anyone to live there anymore.  They’d done what others had: taken their culture and history and left Earth, settling another planet. 

When they’d decided to move to Earth, Ianto’s regular doctor on Hubworld had transferred all of his medical records to Dr. Sakai; she was the top xenobiologist in Torchwood Central, and Jack only wanted the best for his mate.  They’d only seen her once, after Ianto’s illness, and she’d pronounced him healthy.

Jack hoped she hadn’t been wrong in that diagnosis.

“Bring him in,” the doctor said, holding her office door open for them.

“I’m not an invalid, you know,” Ianto groused. 

“And yet you’re letting me support you,” Jack shot back, his arm tightening around his waist. 

Ianto didn’t argue; instead, Jack steered him through the office and into the exam room beyond, settling him on the uncomfortable table. 

“Were there any other symptoms besides what Director Harkness told me?” Dr. Sakai asked Ianto, as Jack fussed over him.

“There’s the weight gain,” the dragon answered, brow furrowed.  “That’s all I can think of.”

She looked confused.  “But your human form shouldn’t be able to gain weight, from what Dr. Asadhi’s notes say.”

Ianto nodded.  “My human form has been set for over three thousand years.  Once I reached maturity, it hasn’t changed, nor should it…ever again. I’m not certain what makes it fixed, but it’s always been the way of dragons.”

“Let’s get a scan and see what we’re dealing with.”She began bustling around the exam room, pulling out several handheld gadgets.“Director Harkness…Captain Harkness-Jones…if you could wait outside please?”




Jack wanted to argue, and he could see that Anwyn wanted to as well, but he did as the doctor bid, kissing Ianto on the forehead and then leaving the room, shutting the door quietly behind himself and Anwyn. 

He felt a nervous wreck as he began pacing the office, chewing on his thumbnail and worrying that anything could be wrong with his mate and he’d be helpless to do anything about it.  Jack was well aware of just what could injure or kill Ianto, and while it wasn’t a very large list, there could be anything out there that they didn’t know about, that could somehow infect the dragon, and Jack was frankly scared. 

“Dad,” Anwyn murmured, stopping Jack’s pacing by wrapping her arms around him in a hard hug.  He knew she was just as scared as he was.  This was her Tad as well as Jack’s mate, and they had no idea what had caused Ianto’s symptoms that morning.

Jack had no idea how long they waited, but when Dr. Sakai stuck her head out and told them they could come in, he didn’t feel like he could move fast enough.  He was at Ianto’s side in a shot; Anwyn on the other, each taking one of the dragon’s hands.

Ianto himself looked in shock, and Jack’s heart lurched painfully in his chest.  He turned to Dr. Sakai, who had a strangely peaceful look on her face.  “Well?” he demanded needing to know what was wrong.

“Congratulations,” she answered, her face splitting into a wide smile.  “You’re going to be parents…again.”

It was Jack’s turn to feel dizzy.  He glanced down at his mate again; Ianto met his gaze, his blue eyes puzzled…but happy.  “Here I thought you were the one going to get pregnant,” the dragon said flippantly.

Anwyn squealed, throwing her arms around Ianto.  She was saying something, but it was completely incoherent.  Jack was stunned, and he turned back to the doctor.  “But how?” he asked, more confused than he could ever remember being.  “Ianto is a male dragon…it shouldn’t be possible.”

Doctor Sakai shrugged.  “I have no idea,” she answered.  “I did a recheck of any and all previous medical scans he’s had, and there isn’t any sign that he could reproduce in that way…unlike yourself, Director.  The closest explanation I can come up with is, in certain alien and terrestrial species, when the gene pool is low and there’s an overabundance of a particular gender, some of the members of that species can change their sex.  Although, I can’t see that Second Jones has lost any of his male sexual organs.  He’s still male...only he’s pregnant.  If I were the religious sort, I’d say it was a miracle.”

Jack’s mind flashed back to that night, when he and Ianto had celebrated their second mating.  The Water Dragon had asked if he was ready for a miracle…and he’d thought it was the ability to change again, to enjoy a true dragon mating once more.  He’d had no idea it would be this.

“How far along?” Jack asked, needing the confirmation.

“I’d say about nine to ten weeks,” the doctor answered.

“The night of our second mating,” Ianto said, echoing Jack’s thought.  He smiled, a beautiful, sweet smile that had Jack’s heart melting.




He leaned over and kissed his dragon, and he couldn’t help but break it off when laughter bubbled up.  “We’re going to have a baby,” Jack grinned. 

“Actually,” Dr. Sakai interrupted, “it’s twins.  That explains the weight gain, when he shouldn’t be showing yet.”

Jack was surprised he didn’t faint.


	4. Chapter 4

 

**_14 May 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

****

Ianto felt content. 

He sat in his favorite chair, feet up, and reading one of his favorite books, _The Scarlet Pimpernel_ , one hand resting on his quickly expanding stomach.  It had been a quiet month, giving him plenty of time to get used to the idea that he was, in fact, a pregnant male dragon.  A pregnant male dragon, carrying twins, of all things. 

It had taken about a week for the shock to completely wear off.

The rest of the month was dealing with Jack’s penchant to hover.

Honestly, he couldn’t blame his mate.  Ianto had been the same way, when Jack had been carrying Anwyn.  And this was twins; that made this a high-risk pregnancy even if he wasn’t a male, and a dragon to boot.  Dr. Sakai still wasn’t certain how he was going to deliver, although a caesarian was a foregone conclusion.  But he also knew that female dragons had to stay in dragon-form while giving birth, and Ianto’s scales were practically impenetrable by most normal knives and scalpels. 

The doctor still didn’t know how he’d become pregnant, and Ianto didn’t explain about the Great Dragons.  Most scientists had issues with mysticism; even Jack had, at the beginning of their relationship.  Now of course he accepted it as part of their lives, but it had been hard to convince him of it. 

“And just how long have you been on that page?” Jack’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Ianto smirked.  “I should just give up reading as a lost cause at the moment, I think.”

“Care to share what’s got you so distracted?”  Jack perched on the arm of the chair, his hand resting on the back of Ianto’s neck, stroking through the short hairs there.

Ianto practically purred.  “Just wondering about these two, and what they’re going to be: human, or dragon.”

“I don’t care, as long as they’re healthy,” Jack replied.  “Although I hope dragon, because there needs to be more dragons in the world.”

Ianto tilted his head up, offering himself up for a kiss.  Jack gladly took the offer, and Ianto moaned softly at the sensual feel of his mate’s lips and tongue against his own.  He would never get tired of kissing Jack.

“You know,” Anwyn’s voice interrupted, “when I was a lot younger, I thought that was quite disgusting.”

The mates broke apart.  Ianto looked up, and saw their daughter standing in the entry, her hands on her hips and grinning widely. 

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not that young anymore,” Jack teased. 

She laughed.  Anwyn had been hovering almost as much as her Dad, and she was always checking to see if she could do anything for him.  “You two make me have hope for my own future,” she conceded, flopping down on the sofa.

“Some day, sweetheart,” Ianto comforted.

“I know,” she answered, smiling slightly.  She opened her mouth to say something else, when Jack’s wrist strap began to beep.

It had been centuries since the Vortex Manipulator had been used for anything but a place where Jack stored his passcodes and as a way to make certain he would be the first to get any alarms or important signals.   For it to be going off now…Jack checked it, and frowned, jumping to his feet.  “Someone just tried to bypass security on our computer system here.”

Ianto also frowned, standing and following his mate to the office, which was situated under the stairs in the same area that the former inn’s own office had been.  As he approached they could both hear an incessant beeping. 

“I’m suspecting someone tried to hack us,” was Jack’s answer, as he slid into the chair at the desk.  Ianto stood behind him, watching as Jack set to work, to see what was causing the alarm.

Ianto growled as the information came up on the screen.  Someone had tried to get into their home system, and might have succeeded if not for the levels of security Ianto had installed on the computer.  Yes, it was a home system, but both he and Jack often used it for Torchwood business, and the last thing they needed was someone unauthorized getting Torchwood secrets.

“Let me see if I can track them back,” Ianto urged.  Of the two, he was the better at computers…at least, this century’s computers.  Sometimes things were still just a bit too primitive for Jack…or that was the story he told.  Ianto usually just rolled his eyes and let him get away with it.

They traded places, and Ianto dove into the system, trying to get some idea as to who even tried to get past his defenses.  He’d learned from the best – Toshiko Sato – and his knowledge had only grown over the centuries.  It would be very hard for anyone to hide from him. 

Whoever had tried was good.  They’d covered their tracks, but the dragon was determined to find out who had attempted to invade their privacy, and he followed the tenuous trail back to its home base.

“Brock and Tenemyer,” he said, confused.   He was also angry, that someone would have tried to hack into their computer.  “Let’s see how they like it when someone gets into _their_ systems!”   His fingers flew across the keyboard, programming in various forms of revenge.

Jack’s laugh sounded in his ear.  “Just what do you have in mind?”

“Is Tad being evil again?” Anwyn asked, her own voice tinged with laughter.

“Yes he is, sweetheart,” Jack answered, sounding enthralled.  “Watch and learn…”

Ianto snorted.   “I’m simply causing a feedback loop in their hybrid processors, which should make a mess of their computing network.  That will teach them not to go poking their noses around _my_ system.”

“I love it when you’re vengeful,” Jack whispered in his ear, in a tone that was guaranteed to make the dragon shiver. 

Ianto’s fingertips stilled for just a second.  “Later,” he promised. 

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Jack said, standing back a little.

The dragon went back to work.  As much as he missed the feel of Jack’s breath on his ear, his mate could be the biggest distraction on the planet.  And it didn’t help that his own sex drive had increased since his pregnancy.  It was a damned good thing Jack didn’t need to sleep much.

After a few minutes, he sat back.  “Done,” he said, satisfied.  “Really, I don’t know why people think it’s a good idea to try and hack in.”

“How about a search on whoever tried to get in?”  Jack asked, leaning against the back of the chair. 

“Good idea.”  It only took a few seconds to find Brock and Tenemyer. 

“That’s the logo that was on the shuttle,” Anwyn exclaimed.  “You know, the one that set down here the day we found out about Tad… “

Jack snapped his fingers.  “Oh yeah, I remember. “

“And that man, thinking he had a right to take our home away from us,” Ianto growled angrily.  He’d thought they’d sent the man packing, and that they wouldn’t hear from anyone anymore about it.  It looked like he’d been wrong.

“Calm down,” Jack’s gentle voice and gentle hand on his shoulder helped ground him.  “You can’t risk your blood pressure going too high.”

His mate was right.  Dr. Sakai had made it perfectly clear that, this being a multiple birth, that there was greater chance of high blood pressure and other complications, compounded with it being a male pregnancy and him being a dragon as well.  This was virgin territory for all concerned.

Ianto took a deep breath, nodding at his mate.  “I’m fine,” he said, “but we’re going to need to do something about this company if we’re ever going to get some peace.”  He realized they must have been after his proof of ownership of Ddraig Llyn, and it was a good thing that it was stored safely at Torchwood Central.

“Tad’s right,” Anwyn replied.  “They’re just gonna keep trying.”

“I agree,” Jack said, “which is why I think it’s time Torchwood’s Director go and have a little chat with Brock and Tenemyer’s CEO.”

 

 **********

 

The offices of Brock and Tenemyer took up the top five floors of a tower that had been erected on what had once been Piccadilly.  The sun glittered off its glass-panel walls, as if trying to outdo the other buildings packed up against it in sheer flash.

Jack strode into the main lobby, his coat flowing dramatically about him, the heels of his boots thumping against the tiled floor.  The place was like any other high-rise, and it bothered Jack that Earth had built itself up so much that it no longer resembled the planet that he’d fought for, for so long.  Of course, he knew this time in history was one of growth and expansion for the Earth Empire, and he knew how it would look from his own time.  He was glad that things would get better, but for now his focus was saving one Welsh valley from becoming just another built-up area.

He approached the reception desk.  A young blonde woman sat there, and she looked up when Jack reached her position.  “May I help you?”  she asked politely.

 “Yes,” Jack answered, favoring her with a friendly smile.  “I’d like to see Leonard Brock, please.”  He normally would have flirted with her, but he wasn’t in the mood.

It had been hard to leave Ianto back home, but Anwyn was with him, and Jack didn’t want to bring the dragon into what would most likely be a stressful situation.  He knew Ianto wouldn’t do anything to risk their twins, but honestly Jack didn’t trust anyone who would try to use underhanded methods to steal Ianto’s home.  It just proved the man was a coward, and a coward tended to use anything at his disposal to gain an upper hand.  No, it was better that Jack face them himself, and trust his mate and daughter to come to his rescue if needed.

Not that Jack didn’t think he could handle a stuffed-shirt bureaucrat. 

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No,” Jack answered, “but I know he’ll want to see me, if you tell him it’s Director Jack Harkness from Torchwood.”

The woman’s well-sculpted eyebrows went up at that.  She reached for her comm., pressing two buttons on her computer in quick succession.   A beat later, she spoke into her headset, telling whoever it was on the other end who was there and who they wished to see.   Her dark eyes glanced up at him, and she nodded once.  “You can go on up, Director Harkness,” she said politely.  “Mr. Brock’s office is on the 60th floor, on the right as you leave the lift.”

“Thanks,” he said cordially, heading toward the bank of lifts behind the desk.

The trip up to the 60th floor took hardly any time at all, thanks to the state-of-the-art frictionless lift system that had been installed in the building.  Jack might have been impressed if he didn’t already know that the chrome and glass lift cage was simply in order to awe whoever ascended the building.

He took the time that the upward trip covered to go over what Ianto had found out about Leonard Brock.  The man had built his company from the ground up, until Brock and Tenemyer was one of the premier land trading companies on Earth as well as several other worlds.  From the records the dragon had dug up, Brock wasn’t above underhanded tactics if it meant he got his way. 

Well, if Jack had to do it that way, he would.  However, for the sake of his family he preferred to deal with things aboveboard. 

The doors slid open with a quiet pinging sound, and Jack came out of the lift as if propelled.  Brock’s office was obvious; it had a glassed-in reception area, where a red-head who reminded Jack forcibly of the long-gone Donna Noble sat at an ostentatious-looking desk.  Artwork from half a dozen systems hung from the three walls that were solid, while gold-trimmed lettering on the glass wall said ‘Leonard Brock’ in old-fashioned calligraphy.  

He pushed the door open, putting on a smile for the personal assistant.  “Torchwood Director Jack Harkness to see Leonard Brock,” he said, his eyes taking in his surroundings.   Maybe he was being paranoid, but he didn’t want any surprises.

“Of course,” the woman answered, her own face remaining a carefully crafted professional mask.   “Mister Brock said for you to go right in.”

Jack did so.

The inner door was of solid oak; none of the composite material that was so popular.  _Just another sign of having more money than a person knew what to do with_ , Jack thought as he entered Leonard Brock’s office. 

The man behind the desk was equally rich.

Leonard Brock wore a suit that would have made Ianto drool.  The man was in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair and piercing brown eyes.  He was rail-thin, but it wasn’t an unhealthy size; more thin and wiry.  He wasn’t unhandsome, but something in his manner convinced Jack that Brock wasn’t his type…not that he’d have done anything, being mated and all.

“Director Harkness,” Brock stood, offering his hand. 

Jack accepted the hand, going for politeness.  “Mister Brock.”

“Please,” Brock waved him toward the rather plush visitor’s chair.  “Have a seat.”

Jack did so, and Brock followed suit.  “Now,” the man said affably, “how can I help Torchwood?”

“Actually,” Jack began, “I’m here to discuss your ham-handed attempts to gain my family’s property.”

He had to give Brock credit; he was a very fine actor.  “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do.”  Reaching into his pocket, Jack pulled out a flimsy; it was a copy of the most recent survey map of Ddraig Llyn.  He reached across the desk, sliding the survey toward Brock.  “This is my family’s property.  My mate owns the entire valley and the mountains around, and has done for over a thousand years.  We have the documentation to prove it, which I believe we’ve already turned copies of over to your representative.  And, we traced an attempt to hack into our home computer to your office.  Now, I bet if I went down into your main computer bay, I would find quite a few toasted servers, thanks to my mate and his security protocols.”  He leaned back in his chair, pinning Brock with his best three thousand-year stare.  “Are we really going to dance around each other here?”

“I see your reputation for cutting to the heart of the matter is well deserved,” Brock answered, smiling slightly.

“I’ve done my best to earn it,” Jack said.  “I would appreciate it if you would leave my family alone.  Ddraig Llyn belongs to my mate, and as I said has for a very long time.”

“This is where we must disagree,” Brock said, sounding completely reasonable.  “As far as we’ve been able to determine, that land has been abandoned for over six hundred years.  That means it can be claimed under the Land Use Act of 2910.”

“We’ve given you the paperwork to prove the claim,” Jack pointed out.  “And, if it’s been abandoned for that long, why hasn’t someone come along and tried to take it before now?”

Brock frowned.  “For some reason, the valley didn’t seem to show up on any sort of scan before now.  It’s a mystery, I know.  However, be that as it may, we’ve been able to prove the abandonment of the land, and we intend on claiming it now.  As for the supposed ownership documents, there isn’t any proof that what we’ve been given is authentic; it’s simply a copy of a scan.  How do we know you actually have them?”

Jack had to admit the man had a point, but wasn’t about to acknowledge it.  The original documentation was over a thousand years old, and in delicate shape.  “Everything that we have is also available on the database of the Welsh land rolls, which date back to the eighteen hundreds.  Ownership is easily proven through that.”  He knew this was true; Ianto had checked before Jack had left that morning.  The database was always considered the last word in property transactions.

As for the valley not showing on orbital scans…well, it wouldn’t have been the first time the Great Dragons had shielded the valley like that.

“As I have said,” Brock replied, “we’re claiming the property under the abandoned land rules in the Land Use Act of 2910.   According to those guidelines, any property must have been abandoned for fifty years and then it can be claimed.  From what we’ve discovered no one has lived there for a very long time.  That makes it fair game.”

“Not exactly,” Jack denied.  He was very glad that Ianto had done his research.   “I believe the guidelines also state that, to be determined as abandoned, that no tax has to have been paid on the property in that time.”

“That is true,” Brock conceded.  “We’ve been unable to find any sort of tax record on file for the land in question.”

“That’s because,” Jack said, “the original land grant from the then-Ruler of the United Kingdom states that the property should be held tax-free in perpetuity.  In fact, I believe ‘in perpetuity’ is used quite a bit on that particular document.”

Brock’s eyes narrowed, and Jack felt as if he’d scored a hit.  “We’re contesting the land grant, as being unreasonable and far too open-ended to be a proper document.  And, without actually seeing the document in question, to authenticate it, I don’t think that you have a leg to stand on.”

“I’ve spoken to our solicitor,” Jack said, “and he foresaw that.  At this moment, he’ll be contacting your own to arrange to have the original documents authenticated.  When it’s been done, then I do expect you to leave us alone.”

With that, he stood.  While he didn’t want the originals of the land grant and bill of sale out of Torchwood Central, he knew it was the only way to prove that Ianto did, indeed, own Ddraig Llyn.  And Jack wasn’t about to let his mate’s birthplace be taken away.

“We’ll be seeing each other at the authentication meeting,” he said, this time not even offering to shake Brock’s hand.   “In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you and your people would stay the hell away from my home.”  With those parting words, Jack left Brock’s office, his coat swirling around him.

He had a feeling he hadn’t seen the last of the dirty tricks.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

**_20 July 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

****

Ianto hauled himself up onto the examination table, letting Dr. Sakai help him.  At nearly six months pregnant, he felt huge and ungainly; his doctor had laughed when he’d complained about it, countering with the comment that, with twins, it was to be expected.  He felt like his human body was about to pop.

“In another month,” the physician said, getting her scanners ready, “I’ll be making house calls.”

Ianto agreed.  At seven months he’d change into a dragon and stay that way until the twins were born, although how that was going to happen was yet a matter for debate.  He hadn’t developed any other female birth organs, and it worried him that they wouldn’t be able to get through his extremely tough dragon hide to cut the babies out. 

Jack had been helping him set up his old lair in the mountains, knowing that the dragon wouldn’t want to be trapped inside the house for those months when he couldn’t change back to human.  Ianto had noticed that, when transformed, he didn’t feel nearly as large, and was already spending more and more time in his true form, even to the point of building a small nest down in the living area, so the family could spend time together.  Anwyn and Jack had had to move furniture to make it work, but it did, and Ianto was grateful to his family for accommodating him like that.

Dr. Sakai also helped him loosen his clothing, then positioned the handheld scanner over his protruding belly.  Ianto sighed, letting her work, his mind going over what he and Jack needed to do in order to finish work on the lair.  They’d already moved much of his hoard into the old cavern and Ianto had indulged and placed orders for all sorts of blankets, cushions, and pillows, which had prompted Jack into teasing him about being a hedonist.  To which Ianto had primly replied that Jack had known that about him when he’d mated with him, and that it was a bit late to be bringing it up now. 

“There they are,” Dr. Sakai said in satisfaction.

Ianto lifted his head up, and his breath caught as he saw his and Jack’s ‘miracles’ on the large scanner screen hanging on the wall.  The two tiny dragons were curled around each other, their delicate wings folded against their bodies, necks and tails entwined. 

“Can you get me a picture of that?” he breathed, charmed by the closeness the babies were showing.

“Absolutely.”  Dr. Sakai didn’t react as if this was a new request; after all, Ianto asked every time he had a scan done.  He’d made up a small scrapbook of images of the twins’ development.

“I’m surprised Director Harkness or Captain Harkness-Jones isn’t with you,” the doctor commented, continuing her work.

Ianto frowned, losing his good mood.  “They had business to take care of.”  Brock and Tenemyer had been quiet since Jack had had that talk with Leonard Brock until two days ago, when a summons to appear before an arbiter had arrived.  Knowing that Ianto had his check-up today, Jack and Anwyn had agreed to attend, along with their solicitor.  It frustrated him, knowing that his family was fighting for their home and that he was stuck, not being able to help. 

He and Jack had talked about using their Torchwood authority to get the claim quashed, but that would only solve things in the short term; if the claim wasn’t substantiated without doubt, someone could come back later and try the same tactics.  No, it was best to do this properly, and make it impossible for anyone else to attempt it.

Still, it surprised Ianto that Brock hadn’t backed off once he’d learned who the owners of Ddraig Llyn were.  Not many people tried to take on Torchwood; the centuries had only enhanced their reputation for doing whatever needed to get things done, up to and including dirty tricks.  But then, after having done some research into Brock and Tenemyer, the dragon could tell they were used to doing the same thing.  With the high cost of premium land on Earth and other worlds, he could see why they could afford to be so ruthless.

However, Jack Harkness could be just as ruthless, especially when someone was messing with his family.

“Everything looks just fine,” the doctor reported, smiling.  “You have two very healthy little girls.”

Ianto grinned, brought out of his bad mood by the news.He was glad that they’d asked to know the gender of the twins, although it hadn’t made picking names any easier.“Thank you, Doctor,” he said, raising himself up on his elbows.




“You’re quite welcome.”  She helped him lever himself to his feet, which had actually started aching about three weeks ago and hadn’t stopped.  Jack gave the best foot rubs…

“If your progress continues the way it is,” Dr. Sakai went on, “then I think you’ll go to 35 weeks.  We’ll worry about how we’re going to perform the caesarian when it’s closer to time, although I think I might have a couple of ideas.”

“That’s great,” Ianto said, straightening his clothes.  Since it was still unusual for males to be pregnant, no one had yet come up with an alternative to drawstring pants and oversized shirts, and he felt decidedly underdressed. 

“Your blood pressure is a little high, but not out of the norm for you or for someone in your condition.You might want to keep monitoring it, just to be on the safe side.Also, I’ve noticed that your body temperature seems to be rising.”




“I seem to remember that’s normal in a dragon pregnancy,” Ianto answered.  “My internal flame is increasing just a little, in order to keep the babies warm.”

Dr. Sakai nodded.  “That makes sense, and could also explain the slight rise in blood pressure.  We’ll keep an eye on it as well.”  She grinned, handing him the photo he’d requested.  “Everything looks good, and I’ll see you in a month.  Call me if anything changes.”

“I shall.”  Ianto hugged her briefly, then left the examination room and headed down toward the lifts.  He knew damned well he was waddling, no matter what Jack claimed, and it would have been self-conscious  if not for the fact that each and every Torchwood employee he saw greeted him warmly, and didn’t make a big deal over the fact that they had a pregnant dragon-in-man-form in their midst.  Yes, some of the females would ‘ooo’ and ‘aww’ over him, but he was getting a bit used to it.  After all, it wasn’t anything worse than what Anwyn was doing.

He breathed easier once the transmat deposited him back in his own home.  It was a bit of a perk, having a personal transmat in their home, one that Ianto felt he and Jack had earned after twelve hundred years of service to Torchwood.  They’d hidden it away in a small broom closet, and the dragon exited it and into the living area, noticing that it was far too quiet for either Anwyn or Jack to be home.

Collapsing onto the sofa and making certain his tired feet were propped up, Ianto sighed deeply and tried to relax.  It didn’t take long; his eyes drooped, and the last thought was that if he slept too long he was going to be cranky when Jack and Anwyn got back…




A sudden roaring noise roused him.  Ianto levered himself upward, his groggy mind not registering what it was at first; then it came again, and he recognized it as a shuttle circling overhead.

He climbed off the sofa and hobbled to the front window.  Ianto cursed as he couldn’t see where the shuttle was, so he made his way to the front door, flinging it open as he grew angry.  They’d deliberately declared the valley as a no-fly zone; Jack had used his connections with Homeworld Security in order to get it pushed though, and it was now official all over the planet.  No one should be flying over Ddraig Llyn without calling first to inform them they were coming.

Ianto caught sight of the shuttle as it banked past Pedair Dreigiau, the tallest mountain over the valley, and then head back toward the house.  It was obvious the pilot meant to land on the green, and as far as Ianto was concerned that wasn’t going to happen.

He triggered his transformation, and the dragon launched himself into the air, powerful wings propelling him toward to the shuttle.It was almost like a game of old-fashioned ‘Chicken’, each waiting for the other to flinch.




The shuttle suddenly changed direction, narrowly missing the dragon’s left wing as it swerved.

The movement meant that the dragon got a good look at the triangular-shaped logo on the shuttle’s side: it was from Brock and Tenemyer, and he couldn’t believe that they’d be so brazen as to come to the valley while Jack and Anwyn were gone.    Did they think he was defenseless, that he wouldn’t defend his home…his family? 




The dragon saw red.

He took a deep breath, although it wasn’t nearly as deep as he would have hoped, and called upon his inner flame.  A bright gout of fire erupted from his open jaws, aimed toward the circling shuttle, striking the metal skin just behind the cockpit.  The shuttle jerked as the pilot tried to escape, but the dragon followed, breathing another stream of flame along its side, blackening the hull and giving the dragon a sharp spike of satisfaction.  Didn’t the first representative warn them who he was?

A horrible burning flared along his shoulders, and the dragon spun in midair, finding himself facing what appeared to be a low-orbital fighter, and he managed to dodge the ruby light of its laser as it fired again. 

The dragon quickly ducked around the fighter, suddenly afraid that the laser could actually cause some damage.  If it had been just him, he would have continued the fight; but there were his unborn twins to think about, and he wasn’t about to put them into any more danger than he inadvertently had.

He banked away, aiming for the cave entrance where his lair was.  He dodged another blast, but the heat of it seared against his wing, the most delicate part of his body.  He couldn’t help but think that Brock must want the valley very badly if he was willing to send an armed ship in after him…

 _It didn’t make any sense_ , was the thought that hounded him as he tucked and rolled toward the lake, hoping to get away from the lasers.  Unless Brock thought that by killing him would leave the valley open for a takeover.  If that was the case, then Brock didn’t know his mate and his daughter very well at all.

 The dragon pulled out of his roll, skimming the surface of the lake.  He would have usually just ducked under the chill water, but he wasn’t certain how plummeting at full speed into the surface would affect the twins on impact with the hard surface.   The mountains would protect them.

The roaring of engines sounded overhead, and the dragon slid to one side, and then the other, angling his wings to drain his speed.  The fighter overshot, and in that moment he realized his mistake, that the fighter was now between him and his sanctuary.

Cursing inwardly, the dragon turned quickly, even as he could see the fighter doing the same.  Luckily he was more agile than the ship, and had managed to dodge away before the ship could draw a bead on him.

But he’d forgotten about the shuttle.

The dragon would have slammed into the bulky ship if his reflexes hadn’t been as quick.  As it was, his wing clipped the metal hull, and it knocked him off course.  He smacked his tail into the skin of the ship as he jerked hard to avoid the shuttle, and he roared as he began to head away from his attackers.

The shuttle wobbled, and the dragon avoided its wild movement, but dodging put him back into the sights of the fighter, who took advantage of the situation by firing once more.

The force of the laser pressed the dragon downward, and he smacked into the surface of the lake belly-first.  The shock of impact rattled him badly, knocking what little air he’d had in his lungs as the force of the blow sent him into deeper water.

He panicked, terrified for his unborn children, and he tried to surface, but for some reason the dragon couldn’t find the way up.  He was completely turned around, and his lungs were beginning to strain as the fear made him use up what oxygen he had left.

 _“Rest,”_ a calm voice spoke in his mind.  _“I have you.”_

As darkness crept over his vision, the dragon did as the voice commanded, trusting it to care for himself and his unborn children.

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

**_20 July 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

 

Jack glanced at his watch, his irritation growing as they were kept waiting by Leonard Brock and his solicitor.

They were already twenty minutes late.  Even the arbiter that had come in on the case was looking put out, and Jack couldn’t blame hir.   “If Mr. Brock and his representative aren’t here within ten minutes,” the arbitrator said in a squeaky voice, “I’m summarily ruling in your favor, Director Harkness.”

Jack heard Anwyn’s stifled sigh as the other side in the dispute walked into the office almost as soon as the arbiter had finished.“I’m sorry we’re late,” Brock explained, “but some last-minute business came up.”




“Then let’s get started,” the arbiter said.  “Please, everyone take their seats.”

Jack, Anwyn, and their solicitor – a tall Remneth from Skaldar, all odd angles and pale red – took one side of the long table that filled one of the large meeting rooms in the Federation delegation building.  The Galactic Federation had supplied the arbiter, supposedly one of the best there was; the being was shaped like an ambulatory starfish, and Jack thought hir might have been from the Cassiopeia Cluster.

Brock and his solicitor took the opposite side of the table, and the CEO of Brock and Tenemyer was looking smugger than Jack thought he had a right to be.  He and Anwyn had brought the original land grant documents with them; the arbiter had said that an independent expert on ancient documents would also be present, and Jack knew that had to be the stooped, wizened elderly man sitting away from the table, watching the proceedings with interest.

“Gentle beings,” the Cassiopeian began, “we’re here in order to arbitrate the dispute between Brock and Tenemyer, and the Jones family, for property that might fall under the Land Use Act of 2910.”  The being’s pointed head turned toward Brock.  “Now, the plaintiff shall make his opening statement, please.”

Brock’s solicitor – who was human – stood and did so.  It was pretty much the same argument that Brock had used on Jack when he’d visited the man’s office for the first – and only – time, and Jack tuned the man out, his irritation compounded by the fact that Ianto would be at his doctor’s appointment by now, and Jack hadn’t missed one until today. 

The call had come very early that morning, and had awoken the entire household.  Jack suspected that it was meant to throw them off guard, and to try to rile them up, and while it had succeeded it wasn’t for the reason that Brock might have meant.   The man had no idea that Ianto was pregnant, and that this was the day they went in for his scans.

Ianto had offered to reschedule, knowing how much it meant to Jack to be there, but he’d convinced the dragon to go on without hm.  He could see the image of the scan that Ianto inevitably got at every appointment.

But still, the timing had been bad, and Jack wasn’t in the mood to mess around.He’d retrieved the needed documents, arranged for their solicitor, Ahmas Shandara, to meet him and Anwyn at the appointment location.  They’d spoken to him previously, so Ahmas wouldn’t be going into the meeting cold, and he seemed to think that Brock didn’t have a leg to stand on which made Jack even angrier, that Brock would therefore have been wasting their time and causing his mate undue stress.

The other attorney finished his summation, and then sat back down.The arbiter turned to Ahmas Shandara, and the Remneth stood as well, bowing slightly to the Cassiopeian.“Thank you, Honored Arbiter,” he said in his broad, orator’s voice.Remneth made the best public speakers, with their rich accents and passionate way of speaking.“My statement will be short, only referring to the documents that we have brought with us, and once they are proved authentic then I ask that the honored arbiter dismiss the claim as groundless.Thank you again.”  He sat back down, and Jack was grateful for him being so quick about it.




The arbiter thanked Ahmas then examined each and every one of them in turn.  “I agree that this seems a case that can be cleared up quickly, which is why I asked my learned colleague, Professor Maximillian Moreau, to join us.  He can check into the authenticity of the documents in question and we can finish this up today.”

The expert in question stood, bringing a case with him to the table.  He slid the case onto the table, looking at Jack expectantly.  “Director Harkness, if you please?”

Jack put his own case on the table; this one was specially made to carry delicate papers. It came with a tiny device that generated a stasis field around whatever was inside.  Jack wasn’t about to take any chances with them, not when his mate’s home was at stake.

Professor Moreau was putting on a pair of gloves as Jack opened his case.  Within were the original bill of sale on the actual valley, and the Royal Land Grant that extended the original purchase.  Ianto had been so proud the day he’d received it, for ‘services rendered’ to the United Kingdom.  That day, both he and Jack had also received knighthoods, but that was something they didn’t mention, not wanting to make more of a deal of their jobs than they needed to.

Moreau’s eyes lit up at the sight of the ancient documents.  They were in remarkable condition for being almost twelve hundred years old.  Ianto had made certain they were well taken care of, storing them in the Torchwood Archives on Hubworld under climate control until their move back to Earth. 

He slid the case over toward the professor, who was practically salivating over them.  Jack stifled a grin, sitting back in his seat…

And suddenly he felt such a strong sense of _wrongness_ that he was back up out of his chair in a heartbeat, reaching for the gun that he didn’t bring with him.

“Dad?” Anwyn asked worriedly.“Are you okay?”




_“Your mate needs you.”_

The voice was so faint Jack almost didn’t hear it, but when it registered his heart stopped, and then started back up at twice its normal rate.  “I have to go,” he stammered, knocking his chair against the one next to it in his haste.

“Really,” Brock sighed almost theatrically.  “If the Director leaves, then I want a ruling in my favor immediately.”

Jack wanted to reach across the table and strangle the arse; it was a good thing the distance was too great.“Something’s wrong,” he growled angrily.“My mate…”




“Tad?” Anwyn gasped.  She paled, and she stood hurriedly, putting her arm around Jack’s. 

He couldn’t think; all he could do was feel the panic start to nibble away at him.  What if something had happened to the twins?  What if Ianto was sick?  Hurt?  He would have made it home by now, and he would be alone.  What had happened? 

“Director,” the arbiter’s high-pitched voice cut through his jumbled thoughts, “that was a telepathic cry you heard.”

Jack looked at hir, his eyes wide.“Did you hear it?” he asked, knowing that Cassiopieans were highly telepathic.  Jack, himself though, wasn’t, so that shock simply added to the surprise of the call.




“I did,” hir answered.  “Go, and find out what happened.  My expert will continue to look over the documents and when you return I will render my decision.”

“I’ll stay and make certain everything is aboveboard,” Ahmas said.  “Go and check on Ianto, the both of you.”

“I object,” Brock’s attorney snapped. 

“We made allowances for your tardiness,” the arbiter replied.  “Therefore you can make allowances for a family emergency.”

Jack didn’t wait to hear Brock’s rejoinder; he bolted from the office, Anwyn hot on his heels.  Together father and daughter raced toward the nearest transmat, scared beyond almost all thought.  He didn’t even stop to think about the warning, or that someone else had also heard it; only that something was wrong with his mate, and that he needed to get home as soon as possible.

He pulled his Torchwood I.D. to get to the front of the transmat line, and his hands were shaking so badly that Anwyn had to enter the code for their home pad.  It seemed to take forever for them to be transported, Jack cursing for the first time in centuries that his Vortex Manipulator no longer worked.

Jack didn’t even register being transmatted; he pelted from the closet where their personal transmat was located, calling Ianto’s name as he searched frantically for his mate.  What if he were unconscious somewhere, and unable to answer?  Jack knew that panic wasn’t going to work, and that he needed to calm himself before being of any use to Ianto.

He stopped in the middle of the living area, taking a deep breath in order to get his heart under control.  Anwyn came up beside him, taking his hand in hers, and Jack could tell she was drawing strength from him even as he was doing the same from her.




The faint whine of an engine came from outside the house.

Jack was out the door like a shot.  He sobbed a breath as he watched a shuttle and a small, suborbital fighter joined in an assault on his mate over the placid blue of the lake.

He was completely helpless as he watched his mate be herded away from the mountains, where he would have been safe, the fighter firing its weapons at the dragon, who managed to get out of the way.  Unfortunately, this caused him to nearly slam into the shuttle, and his wing clipped the ship before tumbling away, taking an opportunity to swipe at it with his tail and roaring his anger at both interlopers.

If only they still had an aircraft, but the shuttle Anwyn had brought with her had been sent back to Hubworld, and Jack hadn’t gotten around to buying one for his personal use…

The dragon swerved awkwardly out of the shuttle’s way, but the wild movement put him in the fighter’s sights, and a blood-red beam of energy struck the dragon in the back, and sent him into the depths of the lake.

Later on, Anwyn would tell Jack that he screamed Ianto’s name as he tore down toward the lakeshore, but he wasn’t aware of it.  All he knew was that his mate had been forced under the water, and he wasn’t coming back up. 

And then he felt a tingling throughout his body.

Jack felt a definite shift within his body, one that he’d only ever felt twice in his very long life.  He screamed again, the sound becoming a loud roar as he transformed into the blue-gray dragon he’d seen more often in dreams than he’d physically been.

Powerful legs pushed him off the ground, as huge wings unfurled to catch the wind.  He roared his challenge to the ones who’d dared attack his mate and unborn children, propelling himself forward, rage and revenge fueling the great flame within him.  With a deep exhalation he breathed fire over both ships, and its heat charred the shuttle’s skin, while the force pushed the fighter away, although not a mark was made on the fighter’s ablative shielding.

The shuttle wobbled, and Jack caught sight of a familiar logo on its side.  _Brock and Tenemyer_.   His rage grew, and with it his flame, and he attacked once more, determined to send the ship into the lake where his mate had vanished.  

Heat blasted against his scales, and Jack growled, his attention from his one prey to the hunter that had dared to attack his family.  He breathed fire once more, directly at the fighter’s cockpit, but it was obvious that the pilot had realized that their weaponry wasn’t going to work against a dragon.  It banked and flew away, disappearing over the mountains.

Leaving the shuttle behind.

It did try to escape, but Jack wasn’t about to let it.The haze of fury cleared enough for him to realize that he’d need proof of what had happened; that Brock had sent his bully-boys after his pregnant mate.He wanted the man punished for what he’d done.And if he didn’t have that, Brock would most likely never give up, if he was willing to kill to get the valley from them.




The dragon banked, aiming his flame toward the engines.  Two good breaths and the engine housing was damaged, and the pilot had no choice but to aim for the shore.

Jack didn’t follow.

Instead, he curled his wings and hovered over the spot where his mate had disappeared, looking for some sign that he was surfacing. 

There was no sign.

Giving an agonized cry, he plummeted downward, hitting the water snout-first.  Using his powerful legs he swam downward, hoping to find some sign of his mate before it was too late.  The water was clear and cold, and he went deeper, his eyes scanning in every direction, terror beginning to push past the anger he been feeling.

_“Here.”_

Jack’s head turned at the disembodied voice, and through the water he could just see the body of his mate, floating peacefully not that far away.  With a strong swish of his tail and pulling himself forward with his cupped claws he shot forward, and he reached out to the green dragon, capturing his mate in his arms then surging upward, toward the light.

They broke the surface of the water, and Jack began towing his motionless mate toward the shore, fear giving strength to his strokes.  He could see Anwyn on the bank waiting for them, and even from that distance he could tell how scared she was.

He was just as scared.

His mate was motionless, limp in his grasp.  He put on a burst of speed, and managed to get to the shore, dragging the green dragon up onto the grass. 

Anwyn was there, and she raced forward as soon as he had them both out of the lake.  “Dad!” she cried, throwing her arms about his neck.  He could feel her trembling through the contact.  “I called Dr. Sakai, and she’s on her way…Dad, is Tad okay?”

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.  He positioned his mate a bit more comfortably, on his side; Jack’s clawed hand rested on his mate’s distended stomach…

And he felt a very distinct kick under his palm.

The sob of relief nearly choked him.

Anwyn put her own hand where his had been, and she grinned.“I felt them,” she breathed softly, tears rolling down her cheeks.“And Tad’s breathing…”




_“They will be well.”_

He looked up.  The Water Dragon unfurled his wings, hovering above the surface of the lake. 

“It was you,” Jack said.  “It was you who warned me.”

 _“It was.”_   The Great Dragon smiled in a show of sharp teeth.  _“You are our children, and none shall harm you in this place.”_

Jack nuzzled his snout against his mate’s, feeling the tell-tale tickle of breath against his scales.  “Thank you…for everything.”

“What the – “

He looked in the direction of the voice.Dr. Sakai stood there, large medkit slung over her shoulder, staring at the Water Dragon in awe.Then she blinked, turning her attention to the pair of dragons on the ground…and she shook her head.“You could have told me you were a dragon as well, Director Harkness,” she chided softly, walking forward to kneel beside them, and digging into her kit.




“Well,” he admitted, moving just enough to let her work, “I’m not…I’m more of a human who can change into a dragon, instead of a dragon who can change into a man.  Besides, I thought it was only a one-time – or two-time – thing.”  He aimed that last bit at the Water Dragon, who seemed amused.

The Water Dragon chuckled.  _“You have always had the ability within you, however you cannot transform outside this valley, since our power does not reach much beyond it any longer.”_

That was fine with him; just to be able to share this with his mate was enough.

“Jack?” his mate said weakly, surprise evident in both voice and expression.

“He’s going to be fine,” Dr. Sakai said, putting her equipment away.  “Him and the twins.”

“Thank you.”  He was finally able to relax, the stress uncoiling from him like a rope that had been stretched to its limit.

He turned to the Water Dragon.“And thank you,” he said sincerely.“For this…for everything.”




The Dragon bowed.  _“You are most welcome, my son.  Take care of each other, and we will always be near.”_  With that, the Water Dragon dove back into the lake, his tail making quite a playful splash.

 

**********

 

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” Jack said, breezing back into the meeting room, putting a large grin on his face. 

He glanced around the table, catching the reactions to his appearance.  The arbiter made a bobbing motion with the upper part of hir starfish-shaped body, which Jack took as a nod.  Professor Moreau sat beside hir, looking as if he’d just won the New Vegas lottery.  The documents were gone, the case that Jack had brought them in closed once more, and he looked at Ahmas, who nodded discreetly, indicating that all was well.  “How is Second Jones?” the solicitor asked, standing from his own seat.  “And the children?”

Everyone in Torchwood knew about Ianto being pregnant; Jack knew there was a betting pool going on as to the genders of the twins, which he was more than fond of fueling by pointed comments and sly hints, although he never gave anything away.  “It was a close thing,” he answered, clapping the Remneth on the shoulder, “but we got there in time.” 

Jack hadn’t really wanted to leave his mate, but Ianto had pointed out that he needed to go, to submit the evidence of Brock’s attack on him and their unborn children. 

“I am glad to hear that, Director,” the Cassiopeian answered, relief in hir squeaky voice.

“Thank you, Arbiter,” he replied, his gaze turning toward the other two people at the table.  The Brock and Tenemyer solicitor looked a bit confused, and Jack determined that he hadn’t known what Brock had planned.  Brock, however…

The man looked pissed.  He sat in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his face set in a forbidding expression. 

Jack was thrilled.

“Please have a seat, Director,” the arbiter invited.  “I am now ready to give my verdict on the matter.”

He was more than willing to do so, pulling up a chair beside his solicitor’s, and giving his attention to the arbiter.  He had no doubt which way this was going to go, but procedure had to be followed.

“Professor Moreau has found that the documents submitted are, indeed, authentic,” the arbiter said.“In them it is stated that Sir Ianto Jones, the Dragon of Torchwood, shall own the valley known as Ddraig Llyn in perpetuity, granted by His Royal Majesty King Henry William, dated 15 December 2078, for services rendered the British Empire and the planet Earth.It also states that no taxes or liens should be collected against said Royal Grant, and that if something should happen to Sir Ianto Jones, then the valley shall pass to his heirs, which in this document is recognized as Captain Sir Jack Harkness, Director of the Torchwood Institute, and Affirmed Mate to the Dragon of Torchwood, and any children they may either adopt or conceive.”Professor Moreau nodded in agreement with the arbiter’s assessment.“Also included with the Royal Land Grant was an original bill of sale dated twenty-six years earlier, and signed by the then-residents of Ddraig Llyn as witnesses, of which the Royal Land Grant expands upon.There is no codicil that the land should always been lived upon, but that it shall always belong to Sir Ianto Jones, to do with as he sees fit.In my opinion, that means that he could leave it for long periods of time and not be subject to any acts that come after, including the Land Use Act itself.Therefore, it’s my ruling that the claim against the valley known as Ddraig Llyn by Brock and Tenemyer be dismissed, and that Sir Ianto Jones be recognized as having all rights to the property in perpetuity as the Royal Land Grant proclaims.”




“Thank you, arbiter,” Jack said gratefully.

“You are most welcome, Director Harkness.”

Brock rose angrily, spearing Jack with a glare that would have fried a lesser being.  “This is far from over,” he vowed.  “I’ll appeal, and we can tie this up in court for years.”

Jack rolled his eyes.  “I very much doubt that,” he said sharply.  “Especially since you’re going to be busy fighting the charges of attempted murder I plan on raising against you, for trying to kill my mate and my unborn children.”

The man’s face went red in rage.  “How dare you accuse me – “

“Accuse?  I have proof.”  Jack flipped on his comm.  “Anwyn, bring in the proof.”  He clicked it off, and leaned back in his seat, wanting to seem completely calm in the face of Brock’s anger, instead of all the anger he felt that Ianto and the babies had been endangered.

The door opened, and Anwyn entered, pushing the shuttle’s pilot into the room.  She’d been like Jack, not wanting to leave her Tad, but Dr. Sakai had said the dragon was fine, and would stay with him.  Both hoped to get this taken care of quickly and then go home, and Jack wanted nothing more than to curl up beside his mate and prove to himself that everything would be all right.

“This man,” Anwyn growled, sounding very dragon-like, “attacked my Tad and my unborn sisters in a shuttle over Ddraig Llyn.  There was also a fighter, but whoever was in that escaped.  The shuttle had the Brock and Tenemyer logo on it, and it’s currently parked back home; it’s kinda hard to fly something out that’s had its engines melted by a dragon’s flame.”  She smirked at that, but Jack could tell she was feeling a little left out, not being able to transform into a dragon herself.  She hadn’t been able to help when her Tad had been in danger, and that hurt her more than anything.

Jack did hope that, someday, she’d be able to join them.

“Do you wish to bring charges now, Director Harkness?” the arbiter asked, hir voice actually lowering a bit in what Jack interpreted as anger.

“I do,” Jack said.  “Can I ask that you take care of it, Honored Arbiter?  I really want to get back to my mate.”  If he hadn’t been so worried about Ianto, despite all the reassurances by Dr. Sakai and the Water Dragon, he would have taken great pleasure in seeing Brock arrested. 

As for Brock, his face had gone through several shades of red, before he stood and walked out without a word, followed by his rather confused attorney.  Jack barely resisted the urge to say ‘Good riddance’, instead taking the higher ground, so to speak.

“I shall take care of it for you,” the arbiter offered.  “I shall also make certain that the land claim is duly registered.  Please, you and your daughter go home.  All will be in hand.”

“Thank you,” Jack said sincerely, reaching across the table for the climate-controlled case.  He handed it to Ahmas, asking the Remneth to take the case back to Torchwood Central and make certain it got back under lock and key.  The solicitor nodded in agreement, offering his good wishes for their family.

The Cassiopeian did as well, and Jack and his daughter left the room as security arrived to take the shuttle pilot into custody.  He wrapped his arm around Anwyn’s shoulders, and together they went to the nearest transmat, and to home.

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

**_23 September 3246 (Earth Standard Year)_ **

 

****

The dragon felt Jack curled around him, and he snuggled back, wondering what had awakened him so early.  Even though they were in the old cave where he’d originally had his lair – it was easier to stay there while he was constantly in dragon-form, instead of being trapped in the house – he could tell the sun hadn’t come up yet, as it would be shining through the entrance to the cave if it were any later.  He wasn’t ready to get up yet; the later it got in his pregnancy, the lazier he felt, only getting up from their nest in order to lay just outside in the sunlight, sleeping for most of the day away even then. 

He let his eyes slide shut, reveling in the warm body of his mate.  Jack had stayed with him after it was decided he’d need to stay in his true shape for the rest of his pregnancy, and Jack had been content to stay in his own dragon-form most of the time.  It was amazing to finally know the sensation of his true mate beside him.  Jack couldn’t stay that way for long, but he always slept like that, and it was the most incredible feeling imaginable.

A sharp cramp caused his eyes to fly open once more, and the dragon exhaled sharply at the sudden pain.  His clawed hands ran over his abdomen, stroking over the swollen scales, his heart beating faster as he realized what was happening.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked sleepily, cuddling closer.

“I think it’s time,” he answered quietly, in awe that the moment had finally come.

“That’s nice,” Jack muttered, his snout burrowing into the back of the dragon’s neck.

The dragon snorted a laugh.  “Jack…I said it’s time.  Surely you’re not going to sleep through your daughters’ arrival?”

“What?”   His mate jerked upward, blue-gray head staring down, eyes wide with amazement.  “Are you sure?”

“Fairly sure, yes.”

“But you’re three weeks early!”

“You heard Katsuko; twins always arrive early.”  She’d confided in him that labor could begin at any time at his last examination, two days ago. 

Jack’s dragon eyes lit up.  “Stay there and I’ll call Kat.”

He climbed over his prone mate and headed for the cave entrance, his tail swishing eagerly.  The dragon huffed another laugh at the sight.  “Oh,” he called out, “don’t call her Kat to her face.  You know she doesn’t like that!”

A particularly sassy tail flick gave the dragon his answer, and he rolled his eyes in amusement. 

At least Jack wasn’t panicking.  For that he was very grateful.  The dragon remembered how he’d reacted at Anwyn’s birth, and it hadn’t been very pretty.  Jack had teased him for _years_ afterward.

A golden glow filled the entrance, signaling Jack’s return to human form.  Soft talking floated toward him, but he couldn’t make out the words, and knew that his mate was using his comm. to call Katsuko.  They’d both come to trust the doctor, and the dragon knew he didn’t want anyone else delivering their twins. 

Another contraction rolled over him, and he hissed slightly.  Well, this wasn’t very pleasant.  He certainly hoped Katsuko hurried up…

“Calls made,” Jack said, coming back into the lair, still in his human shape.  “Anwyn is going to wait for Kat to show up, and then both of them will come on up.  I think I lost the hearing in my right ear, just from Anwyn’s squealing.”

  
The dragon chuckled.  Their daughter stayed close during the day, but at night she left her fathers alone in their lair.  He knew she was still just a tiny bit jealous of being the only member of the family who couldn’t transform into a dragon, but she was still pleased as anything that she would be getting two more sisters.   Anwyn was excited about being an older sibling, and couldn’t wait until the twins were born.   She was having fun teasing both her Dad and Tad about being surrounded by girls.

Jack busily pulled on some clothes and lit several lamps as they waited, and it wasn’t too long before footfalls echoed through the entrance.  Anwyn and Katsuko appeared, the doctor carrying all sorts of equipment bags with her.  “Your timing could be better,” she joked, moving toward a table that had been set up beside the nest.  “I was enjoying a good nights’ sleep when I got the call.”

“Were you alone?” Jack leered, making the woman laughed.

“That is none of your business,” she answered, waggling a finger in his direction.  “Can’t you keep your mate under control, Ianto?”

The dragon’s laugh was cut off by another contraction.  “They’re about ten minutes apart,” he reported, panting slightly past the pain.

Katsuko nodded.  “That’s faster than I thought it would be, but then I really don’t have anything to compare it to.  Male pregnancy isn’t that usual yet, and male dragon pregnancy is unique.”

“I like being different,” the dragon snorted. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Anwyn asked, her face a combination of anxiousness and excitement. 

“You can be my nurse,” Katsuko answered, handing her one of the other bags.  “Help your dad set up that sterile field.  Never in all the time I studied to be a doctor, did I even consider I’d be delivering babies in a cave, and to a male dragon to boot.”

The dragon snorted.  “You and me both, Katsuko.”

Jack and Anwyn quickly set up the equipment, building a sterile work area around the prone dragon, as Katsuko prepared for the surgery.  “I want to wait until the contractions are closer together,” she explained as she worked.  “As soon as the sterile field is set up, I’ll use the scanner to get a look inside and see what’s going on.  I’ll also attach sensors to your abdomen so we can monitor the twins’ heartbeats and status.”

She’d gone through all this before, but the dragon was grateful that Katsuko was doing it again, because it kept him from dwelling too much on just what was happening.  The dragon was becoming more and more anxious as the contractions continued.   He wanted his daughters there, now; so he could hold them and know they were all right.  Certainly, Katsuko had assured him that their development was going well, but this was the first dragon birth in millennia…and the first male dragon giving birth _ever_.  He felt he had every right to be nervous and scared.

“There they are,” the doctor murmured, staring at the holographic image on her scanner.  The dragon couldn’t see, but Jack and Anwyn crowded around in order to check for themselves.  The huge grin on Jack’s face and the happy tears in Anwyn’s eyes told him that everything was just fine.

The fast and steady twin heartbeats filled the cavern.   “There’s no sign of distress,” Katsuko reported.  “I think this is going to be a fairly straightforward procedure.”

Ianto rolled his eyes through another contraction.  “I do hope you didn’t just jinx it.”

The doctor sighed dramatically.  “Oh, I forgot…that’s like asking what else could happen, isn’t it?”

“Gotta be careful there, Kat,” Jack teased.  “You’re tempting fate.”

“And you’re tempting your ability to father any more children, Director,” she mock-threatened.

“It’ll just grow back,” the dragon chuckled.

“Ew, Tad!” Anwyn made a gagging gesture.

“Are you six years old….or six hundred?” the dragon replied.

“I don’t care how old you are,” she answered primly, “you’re never too old to be grossed out by the fact that your parents have sexual organs, let alone sex.”

“I think the evidence of that is lying right here in this cave,” the dragon said, stroking his distended belly.

Anwyn opened her mouth to reply, but didn’t get a chance as the sound of singing echoed from the entrance of the lair.

The dragon could feel the power of the song, as it settled into his very soul.  He recognized it, even though he hadn’t heard it since he was very young.  “It’s the Song of Birth,” he said softly.  “I hadn’t expected to hear it.”

“It’s the Great Dragons,” Jack breathed.  “They’re singing for us.”

The dragon began to sing as well, only stopping when a contraction took his breath away.  Then he would start again, and soon Jack was joining him, and then Anwyn did as well, even though they’d never heard the song before and it was in the ancient tongue of the dragons. 

The power of the song grew, and Katsuko seemed to have fallen under its spell, until she shook herself out of her stupor.  “Let’s get those two little girls out, shall we?” she asked, her voice almost drowned out by the song.

  
Jack changed into his dragon form, curling himself around his mate, careful to avoid the sterile area.  He continued to sing, although he lowered his voice in deference of the dragon’s ear.  He turned to look into Jack’s blue eyes, and such love and power shown from them that his breath was taken away.    He wasn’t even aware of Katsuko working, so lost in his mate’s gaze and the power of the Birthing Song was he. 

A sharp pain broke him from the reverie he’d fallen into, and he craned his neck to look down on what the doctor was doing.  A sheet had been spread over his abdomen, and it was stained slightly with blood, hiding Katsuko’s hands as she performed the caesarian. Anwyn stood beside her, a blanket held ready to catch the first twin, her singing also faded into an almost whisper as she watched in awe.

A soft whimper was the first indication that their first child had entered the world.

Any feeling of pain or discomfort vanished as the dragon watched Katsuko pull the first of their daughters free, handing the small winged dragon to Anwyn to clean up.  Tears were running down their eldest’s face once more as she cradled the tiny child to her, holding her carefully as the doctor cut the cord.

“Oh my goddess,” Anwyn gasped, wonder filling her face.  She quickly wiped her sister clean, as a squeaky-sounding cry sounded from the bundle.   She moved around to her Tad’s side, setting the little girl down beside the dragon’s outstretched arm and then darted back for another blanket, ready for her second sibling to make an appearance.

The dragon couldn’t decide whether he wanted to watch the second birth, or look at his newest daughter.  He found his gaze turning downward to see a pair of sleepy blue eyes staring back up at him.

He was suddenly captivated.  The small snout opened in a yawn, revealing very tiny teeth.  Scales the color of the finest aquamarines glittered in the lamplight and a fine-clawed hand twisted out from within the blanket. 

“She’s so beautiful,” Jack gasped from over the dragon’s shoulder.

A harsh cry sounded, and both proud fathers turned to watch as their second child was delivered.   The song crescendo’d, then faded away into nothing as the kicking and fighting younger twin tried to twist herself from Katsuko’s grasp, delicate wings flapping as if she wanted to fly already. 

“She’s gonna give us trouble,” Jack foretold, and the dragon couldn’t deny it.

The baby calmed once Anwyn held her, curled up against her older sister’s chest as if she was perfectly happy to nestle there permanently.  They joined their parents and other sister, Anwyn sinking down onto the cushions of the nest gracefully. 

The dragon was barely aware of Katsuko working to clean up and close the caesarian incision, as painful as it was.  All of his attention was on his family. 

“How are we going to tell them apart?” Jack asked, looking down at their identical dragon daughters.

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Anwyn answered, the grin on her face threatening to dislodge her ears.  “Thank you, Tad…Dad.  I’ve wanted to be a big sister for so long now…”

“We know, sweetheart,” the dragon said, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.  “And we know you’ll be wonderful with them.”

“I hope so.”  She didn’t sound certain.

“Look at how you are with that little one,” Jack pointed out.   “She calmed down the moment you held her.   You’re going to be fantastic.”

_“You have all done so well.”_

The family turned as one, as the Water Dragon appeared in the lair.  He shimmered in the light, eyes bright and smile wide. 

“Thank you for this miracle,” Jack said simply, and the dragon knew that was all there was to really say.  The Great Dragons had wanted this to happen, and it had been a miracle indeed.

_“And thank you for accepting it,”_ the Water Dragon returned.  _“We are all so proud of you and your family.  As long as there are dragons in Ddraig Llyn, this place will prosper.”_ He looked at Anwyn.  _“And have no fear, Granddaughter; your day will come.  You have a glorious destiny before you, as do your siblings.”_

Anwyn actually blushed.  “I just want to look after my family,” she said respectfully.

_“And you will.”_ The Great Dragon turned his attention toward Katsuko, who was apparently finishing up with the incision area.  _“Thank you, Katsuko.  You are a true dragon-friend.”_

The doctor nodded, wiping her hands on a towel.  “They’ve become true friends of mine, as well.”

The Dragon smiled, and turned to the pair of dragons and their family.  _“Have you named your daughters, my children?”_

“We have,” Jack answered.

Suddenly, the lair was filled with more singing.  The other three Great Dragons fluttered into being around them; the power and majesty of the eternal beings making the cave seem like a royal palace.  Earth…Air…Fire…Water…the elemental Dragons of the world offering their blessing upon the two miracle children that had been born that early Equinox morning.

“Our first-born is Rowena Harkness-Jones,” Jack proclaimed, and Ianto knew these words would be remembered forever.  “And our youngest is Cadi Harkness-Jones.”

_“So shall it be,”_ the Earth Dragon intoned, the deepness of his voice carrying to the very bones of the world.   _“We Bless these children, and the family that supports them.  You are the first of the new dragon-kind, and will carry our power and memory throughout the stars, long after this world and those of us who are a part of it are forever gone.  The Dragons of the Stars, your descendants shall be.”_

_“So shall it be,”_ the other three Dragons echoed.

“Now,” Katsuko broke in, surreptitiously wiping her own eyes, “while this has been very moving, Tad and girls need their rest.  I’m officially shooing everyone but the family out of here.”

The Great Dragons all laughed.  _“Understood,”_ the Water Dragon said.  _“Although Katsuko, I should like to discuss something with you before you return to London…”_

And, with that, the Great Dragons removed themselves from the lair, and it became a normal cave once more.

“Well,” she said, once the Dragons were gone, “is it this exciting around here all the time?”

Jack chuckled.  “Nah, not like this.”

“That’s a good thing,” the doctor replied.  “I don’t think I could handle the pressure.”

“Sure you could,” the dragon answered.

Katsuko let out a laugh that echoed off the walls.  “You’re right, of course,” she agreed, once she was done.  “Now, I’m going to do a final exam of all three of my patients and then it’s time to rest.  I brought an overnight bag, so I’ll stay for a couple of days.”

‘Thanks, Kat.”

“Knock it off, Harkness!”

This was his family…his life.

And he loved every bit of it. 

 

 

 

 


End file.
